Nettie Miller, Pamela Greene McClune and Ras Nielsen

Ras Nielsen, Britt Herland-Silverthorn and Pat Kineen-Van Dekamp at ONA´s New York October 25, 2003 reunion

CAPTAIN RAS NIELSEN, SINGAPORE AIRLINES
FLYING ITALIAN TENOR LUCIANO PAVAROTTI TO SINGAPORE

From 1987 until 1993 I was employed by Singapore Airlines as B747 Captain. One day in year 1990 while home in Singapore, I was reading the International Herald Tribune newspaper over lunch. Reading the paper I noted a short news peice on the back page about the Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. The news piece stated that his personal doctor had, for health reason, placed him on a strict low cholesterol diet. About 6 month later, entirely unrelated to the news piece about him in the Tribune paper 6 month earlier, Pavarotti happened to give a performance in Singapore. As fate would have it, I was bestowed the honor to fly him back to Rome. It was an all night flight, where breakfast was served to the passengers about an hour before landing in Rome. About the time that we flew overhead Athens, Greece I went down to the first class galley, on the 747 this galley is located behind the first class section. Most of the lights were turned off and only a few of the passengers were eating breakfast. In the galley where I spoke with two junior Chinese flight attendants, the following conversation ensued: Ras: How is our VIP (Pavarotti) doing. F/A: Well we think he is doing OK now. Ras: What do you mean with "OK now"? Where upon one of the girls showed me a letter from his travel manager, the letter spelled out that he was on a strict diet, and that his food was to be low in cholesterol and no fat. F/A: This food was very nice, but Captain do you know what he did, HE TOLD US TO THROW THAT THRASH AWAY AND TO GIVE HIM SOME REAL FOOD. Ras: Well, I see that he is eating now, what is he eating? F/A: He is eating bacon and eggs, and he is eating lot's of it.